Project tractor lawn mower Spetse Hoeve, Netherlands

Isn't it a beauty?

A little while back we received a request from the Teen Challenge men's home The Spetse Hoeve in Veelerveen, here in The Netherlands. They asked whether we could help them to find a good tractor lawn mower. They have a lot of grass around the men's rehabilitation home which they've been mowing by hand. It's time for a professional upgrade.

We asked one of our neighbors if he was willing to sell his Husqvarna tractor mower, which he hardly ever used. The new price was around 3,500 euro, but he agreed to sell it for 1,000 euro to help Teen Challenge. Wow. Great deal!

Two volunteers from the Spetse Hoeve came to pick it up and they're using it every day around the men's center. So, it's up to us to raise the 1,000 euro needed to pay for this machine. The men at the Spetse Hoeve are very happy with their new machine... so, we're happy too:)

Do you have a heart for technical projects? You can send your gift to:

Rabo bank nr. 1185 82 275 St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht

IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275

BIC: RABONL2U

THANK YOU.

Project sponsoring annual Teen Challenge conference, Ukraine

The 500 euro for project Code Red in Amsterdam is almost in, so we want to share our next project with you.

Like last year (remember when Jan cut his pony tail and we raised 2,500 euro?) we would love to sponsor the annual Teen Challenge conference in the Ukraine, which will be held in Kiev, August 22-24, 2013. Maybe it is a good idea to share a little bit about the why's and how's of such a conference.

Working with the poor, homeless and addicted is not a regular job and certainly not an easy job. But, none the less a job with great rewards. Many people who are working and volunteering in this field in Ukraine have a similar background; they were either homeless, addicted, poor or somehow lost in hopelessness. But, no matter how passionate and dedicated they are, there will always be times of discouragement and trouble. Attending training seminars and conferences is a must in order to stay fresh and inspired.

Prayer during the 2012 conference

The theme for the upcoming conference is Freedom in Christ and the main speakers are Stephan Barendse (director of Teen Challenge Netherlands) and yours truly (Jan and Marja Verschoor-Meijers). They are expecting people from all over Ukraine and probably also from surrounding countries like Kazakhstan, Georgia and Belarus. We will share practical Bible based lessons on freedom. What is Biblical freedom and most of all, how do we maintain our freedom? We will cover all area's of life: mental soundness, emotional balance, social adjustment, physical wellness and spiritual growth.

Happy and thankful faces at the 2012 conference

Sometimes we take it for granted that we have an abundance in spiritual education, conferences, seminars, books, teachings, studies... you name it. There are still many countries where they crave the spiritual abundance we have. We are happy to be able to share of that abundance with the people in Ukraine.

It costs about 35 euro's for a person to attend this conference. Many workers / volunteers do not have sufficient finances to pay for this or they need the money for travel (as many will come from far away). If you desire to sponsor someone to come to this conference, you can do so by giving a donation of 35 euro (any other amount is welcome too!). We hope to be able to pay for at least 30 people, which means we need about 1,000 euro. What do you think, can we do it?

(If you're in the USA and want to donate, you can do so here, make sure to mention UKRAINE.)

PS: if you click on the photo's they become bigger for better viewing

HOORAY, 2,500 euro for project chapel Teen Challenge Slovakia!

The Teen Challenge men are working hard

HOORAY! As the result of a quick and effective Facebook post we received the last gifts for follow-up project chapel Teen Challenge Slovakia. In just a few weeks the wonderful amount of 2,500 euro (3,300 dollars) came in for this project. Thank you all who gave towards this, your enthusiasm and generosity is appreciated very much.

As you can see in this picture the construction of the David Wilkerson Memorial Chapel at the grounds of the men's rehabilitation home, continues. How awesome that these men can work on a physical house, while the Lord is working on their inner souls. He forgives their iniquities, softens their hearts and heals their wounds from the past. This house of prayer will be a living monument of God's unending love for people in need. He is able to restore and renew broken lives, no matter how deep they have ended up in the gutters of addiction and shame. It is such an honor to be part of this through our finances, through personal contacts and visits (we've been there twice already). As soon as we have new pictures we will share them on this weblog!

For all of us it is true: Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain [Psalm 127:1]

May we remind you of Project Code Red in Amsterdam, we want to sponsor this outreach event in the red light district with a gift of 500 euro. Elaine MacKay mailed us, on behalf of Victory Home, this week with the following: "I really see the faithfulness and favor of God in this. We continue to pray for financial breakthrough in sponsoring... In the meantime we are almost daily on the streets, reaching out to the women. We do see an enormous open-heartedness, many women (prostitutes) give their lives [to God] when we tell them the Good News. We can see the hopelessness and emptiness in their faces...

I want to thank you for your willingness to participate in our efforts, we appreciate this very much!"

Your gifts (large or small) for this practical and loving outreach event in the red light district in Amsterdam are welcome. Within Europe make gifts payable to:

Rabo bank nr. 1185 82 275

IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275

BIC: RABONL2U

We want to use this time to announce some of our upcoming projects. We have many plans for the next couple of months. We hope you will join us in our efforts to make this an exciting, challenging and encouraging time!

• Sponsoring of the annual Teen Challenge conference in Kiev, Ukraine. 30 euro's will help someone (from Ukraine, Belarus, Kazachstan or Georgia) to attend this powerful and uplifting conference.
• The purchase of a tractor lawn mower for the Teen Challenge men's home de Spetse Hoeve in Groningen, The Netherlands. Costs: 1,000 euro.
• A very practical project at Teen Challenge Poland.

News items & prayer

At the women's home, sharing love

Well, it may be vacation time here and there, but Traveling Light has plenty of new stuff going on! We just returned from a short trip to Poland. We were invited to join the celebration of 25 years Teen Challenge in that country. We visited two locations: the rehab men's center in Lekini and the women's home in Broczynie. Wonderful to see what a great work is happening there. We will write more about it soon, because we have a good and practical project coming up there. Please pray for an increase in supporters, so we will be able to accept more small scale projects all over Europe.

Casa Shalom

We received a long thank you letter from Maria Meier in Italy on behalf of Comunita Brezzano, as a response to our gift of 5,000 euro. She writes: 'We want to thank you from all our heart for your generosity and love to us - even if we did not know each other personally. But Marja and Jan described our community and social work in Tuscany marvelous to you, we must add no more... We want to say that your offers are a great help for us to finish and bring two projects forward. Both projects have to do with our production and with self-financing our work: the marmalade kitchen and Casa Shalom....' In the first week of September we are planning to go to Italy with a group of five young volunteers to help Maria with work on the land and around the community. We will stay in Casa Shalom and make many pictures of course. Please pray for that this trip will be fruitful.

Artist impression of interior prayer chapel

The construction of the prayer chapel in Sered, Slovakia keeps going, as do the gifts that come in towards this project. We still need 500 euro's to reach our goal of 2,500 euro. it is very encouraging to see how you are all responding to this. Thank you so much. Here is an artists impression of the roof construction on the inside of the chapel. It is so great to realize that we can be part of this house of prayer, all work is being done by the students who are in the Teen Challenge program. Please pray that the men who come to faith here will let their light shine in all corners of their country!

And then there is project Code Red in Amsterdam. We would love to support this event organized by Victory Home and Victory Outreach to reach abused, mistreated, homeless and addicted women with the love of Christ, with a gift of 500 euro. Your gifts are certainly appreciated and welcome.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. [Mark 12:30-31]

Rabo bank nr. 1185 82 275 St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht

IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275

BIC: RABONL2U

Project Code Red, Amsterdam

Besides our follow-up project chapel Teen Challenge, Slovakia (for which we already have received more than 1,000 euro over the past few days!) we would like to ask your attention for project Code Red, Amsterdam.

Outreach in six major cities

Project Code Red is a two-day outreach event organized by Victory Outreach. They specifically want to reach women (homeless, addicts, prostitutes, abused) in six big cities: Tijuana, Chicago, Oakland, Capetown, Van-couver and Amsterdam. In the Netherlands this event  is being organized by Victory Outreach Amsterdam and Victory Home, a christian rehabilitation home for men and women in Amsterdam.

During this event volunteer women from all over Europe will come to Amsterdam to reach out to homeless, addicted and abused women. Through this outreach, Victory Home wants to show them that someone cares and is concerned about their living situation and future.

On August 5th and 6th mobile beauty parlors and hair salons will be set up on different locations in Amsterdam where women are welcome for a beauty treatment. In the afternoon they can enjoy a catered lunch as well as a wonderful dinner in the evening. During the dinner there will be a theater play. All women will receive a goody bag at the end of the day. If or when a woman decides she wants to change her life, Victory Home can offer them professional help and a place to stay where they will be assisted in making a new beginning.

We think this is a great and loving initiative and we would like to sponsor this event with a gift of 500 euro. Will you help us? This event is being organized by volunteers and will only take place if enough donations come in. The money is needed for food, drinks, location rent, goody bags, make-up etc. etc. If you have a heart for abused and mistreated women please send your gift to

St. Traveling Light

Rabo bank nr. 1185 82 275

IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275

BIC: RABONL2U

Make sure to mention CODE RED

Maybe you can share this blog post with your church/group/family or business partner and see if you can sponsor them as well.

If you need more information for the event in Amsterdam, please call or email  Elaine Mackay of Victory Home, email: e.mackay@voamsterdam.net

Follow-up project Chapel Teen Challenge Slovakia

Preparing the foundation

Towards the end of 2012 we announced Project Chapel Teen Challenge, Slovakia. We were able to donate 2,500 euro to Teen Challenge so they could make a start with the preparations and construction of the David Wilkerson Chapel on the gounds of the men's rehabilitation home in Sered. When the building permits came in and the snow melted, they started with the foundation of the building.

The Teen Challenge Slovakia men

The cool thing about this building project is the fact that the labor is being done by men who are in the program.

Men that used to be bound by addiction, problems, criminal behavior and an overall sense of hopelessness. Now, they are actively participating in the construction of a prayer house that will be a blessing to themselves, to all the future men in the program and to the people in the neighborhood (who are really curious)! A small sanctuary where they can come and cry out to God, say their prayers, sing a song or just be silent....

Building the outer walls

It is very encouraging and inspiring to see how hard they are working. The biggest and most difficult job so far was the digging (by hand) of the 80 cm deep foundation and the pouring of a concrete floor. The men did everything, even the bar bending.We are so proud. For some of them this is the first time they really do something constructive with their hands and of course this gives a sense of satisfaction and healthy pride... Look at what we are doing with our bare hands. Such living proof that all things are possible with God. Yes, ex-drugs- and alcohol addicts building a prayer chapel, how awesome is that! Let's pray that their light will shine until the out-most corners of Slovakia. That they may be a blessing for their nation.

It starts to look like a building!

Teen Challenge Slovakia can be trusted with their finances. Traveling Light received an orderly list (and receipts) of all the materials purchased with the money we donated at the beginning of this year. We would love to follow up on this project and raise another 2,500 euro for them. That money will be used for the purchase of further building materials, for example for the roof construction.

We are so excited to be able to support the construction and realization of the David Wilkerson Chapel in Slovakia. We hope you want to be a part of it too.

If you have a heart for Teen Challenge and such building projects, please send your gift to

Rabobank nr. 1185

IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275

BIC: RABONL2U

By clicking on this Facebooklink you can see more photo's of this project.

Project Study Grant Teen Challenge, Slovenia

Magdalena Horjak

The 5,000 euro for project casa Shalom in Italy came in, thank you all very much for your generosity. If you read any German, HERE is more information about the therapeutic community that we are sponsoring with this money.

Alright, time for a new project. The beautiful lady in this picture is Magdalena Horjak. A few years back she and her husband Matjaz started the Izhod Teen Challenge men's home in Nova Vas, Slovenia. As in many European countries the requirements and regulations to run a rehabilitation home are getting more and more complicated. It is now necessary for one of the staff members to have a degree in health & social studies.

Magdalena is currently studying to get her degree. Quite an undertaking, since she is also the mother of three young daughters. Even more so, such a study is a financial burden. The Horjaks have borrowed the money for this study and are making payments of 750 euro. Traveling Light wants to help them by taking care of (at least) one of these payments.

Horjak family

Many of our projects involve the sponsoring of Christian / Bible based rehabilitation work. We figure it is no more than logical that you want to see the fruit of that work as well. 'Are people staying clean?' is a question we often hear. That is why, every now and then, we like to zoom in on people whose lives have been transformed in an amazing way. Believe it or not, but Magdalena used to be a heroin addict at some point in her younger life.

We are very proud of her now, she is a good wife and mother and an excellent student!

We want the work among the homeless and addicts in Slovenia to continue, and we are grateful that Magdalena is doing the necessary studies.

Will you help us help her?

News items & prayer

Cora Donk

A non-profit organisation can only operate with the help of supporters and volunteers. Every now and then we put one of our volunteers in the spotlight on this blog. This time it is Cora Donk (who is also one of our board members). Cora is quite handy with garden tools and painting brush and she often helps family, friends and neighbors with their chores. She doesn't do this to make money, but to collect money for Traveling Light. Recently she surprised us with a generous gift from which she wanted 2,500 euro  to donate to the Teen Challenge women's home Ark in the Negev, in Israel. Wow, we are so grateful, what a generous gift and what a blessing for the work in Israel. We have sponsored the Ark in the Negev several times over the past few years and we are planning to visit them again this fall. Thank you Cora for your hard work and generosity. Let's pray the money will be used where needed most.

Visiting Joran Stoilov in Tetovo

Jan and volunteer Krijn Donk are currently traveling in Macedonia. The idea to travel to Macedonia together came after Krijn's ice skating fundraiser that resulted in a gift of 1,450 euro for the Saraj church in Skopje. It is a blessing to give, but that is not the end of a project, it is the start. Visiting the people behind the projects is part of our vision too. Such visits, we call them encouragement trips, strengthen relationships and are very inspiring (for all parties involved). Of course such visits will often result in new project ideas. Jan will speak in several evangelical churches over the weekend as well. Please pray for good travels and for the effective spreading of the gospel in this country.

Creative workshops at ZIP 2012

The 500 euro for project sponsoring ZIP festival in the Netherlands came in. To our great surprise we even received a gift from a couple in California. These dear people have Dutch forefathers and gladly wanted to invest in the spreading of the gospel in the Netherlands. They were happy to hear that such events are being organised in our small country. We hope that our sponsoring project will inspire others to do so as well: non profits, churches, businesses, families. If ten give 500 euro it will make 5,000 euro. If twenty give 500 euro it will make 10,000 euro. If we put our hands together we can do so much more! Will you pray for the organisation of this festival and of course for nice weather and many people with hungry hearts for God's love?

The 5,000 euro for project Casa Shalom in Italy is almost there (still 150 euro short). Who helps us out?

This means we have room to announce the next two projects: 1) project study grant Teen Challenge Slovenia and 2) follow-up project chapel Teen Challenge Slovakia.

Thank you very much for all your help, donations, support, kind words and emails. Together, we can do so much more to change Europe and the Middle east for God's glory!

My Brother's Keeper conference, Serbia

About 300 men attended the conference

Like last year we received an invitation from pastor Steve Telzerow (ICF, International Christian Fellowship) in Ljublijana, to attend a special conference: the My Brother's Keeper Conference in Beograd, Serbia. That is a church conference for men (spiritual leaders and pastors) from all Balkan nations. Traveling Light has good connections in most of these countries and it is an honor to be part of such an event. And again a volunteer, from the Hoeksteen Church in Etten-Leur, came with Jan. His name is Jim Hayes.

City centre Beograd

At first they drove to Slovenia where they slept at the Teen Challenge men's home. The next day they all left for Beograd. During the conference a group of six men was set apart (Jan being one of them) for confession purposes. Many men took the opportunity to confess their sins and to pray with a man from this group for forgiveness and healing. Wow, a wave of forgiveness, reconciliation, deliverance and healing came forth. What a blessing for Traveling Light to be able to participate, and be of service, at such an historic event, as personal and international relationships were being restored.

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him (Psalm 22:28).

Fixing the Teen Challenge moving van

At night Jan, Jim and the Teen Challenge Slovenia team went into the streets to talk with the homeless and addicts. They actually were able to take one desperate guy with them to the center in Slovenia, where he has the opportunity to start a new life, with the help of God. For Jan there was no time to relax, the Teen Challenge moving van needed repairs. The perfect job for a good mechanic, offering practical help when possible :) The blond lady in the middle is Bianca, she obviously has an eye for technical stuff and cool guys.

On the way back to Holland Jan and Jim stopped at Teen Challenge Gutes Land in Germany. There is always room for one more person there. The theme of forgiveness and reconciliation came up again during prayer and Bible study. It turned out Jim (an English men by birth) still had some unresolved anger towards the German people, deep down in his heart.

Jim & Markus, one in Jesus Christ

The Holy Spirit prompted one of the staff members of Gutes Land to do something very special and precious. Early in the morning of Wednesday June 12th, 2013 he bowed down and washed the feet of Jan and Jim. While doing that he asked the English people and the Dutch people for forgiveness on behalf of the German people. Again, a very special historic and symbolic moment, needless to say that tears flowed and emotions could no longer be kept inside. And what a confirmation that the work of Traveling Light can and will impact the nations... changing hearts, one person at the time..

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:9-10)

If you desire to support our work in Europe... please, do so!

Make your gifts payable to:

Rabo bank nr. 1185 82 275 St. Traveling Light

IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275

BIC: RABONL2U

PS: We ALWAYS travel at our own expense. ALL gifts go towards our current projects.

Project sponsoring ZIP festival, The Netherlands

If you have been following the activities of Traveling Light for a while, you must have noticed that many of the projects we support are somehow related to Christian drugs- and alcohol rehabilitation programs. Pulling people out of the pit of darkness into the light and giving them new hope. But, that is not all we do...

There are basically two pillars for all projects we sponsor, 1) they have to be small-scale and 2) they must somehow connect people with the love of Jesus. It can be a food bank in Israel, a gypsy church in Macedonia or a summer camp in the Ukraine. We are currently raising 5,000 euro for Casa Shalom in Italy, a therapeutic community in the Tuscan hills. This week we also want to ask your attention for a local initiative in The Netherlands: the ZIP festival (Sing in the Polder) that will be held July 5-7th, 2013 in Lopik.

A few years ago several churches in that area decided to work together in organizing local events, sing-inns, youth evenings and an annual festival. Their goals was, and still is, to bring people from all walks of life together and share the message of the Bible with them. It is also their goal to further improve relationships between different churches and denominations.The ZIP festival is a family festival being organized by a large group of faithful volunteers. Traveling Light would love to sponsor this initiative with a gift of 500 euro. We hope more non profits, businesses, organisations, churches and families will follow our example and become sponsors of this outreach event.

During the summer time, every week some kind of special event is being organized in The Netherlands: a summer fair, a music festival, a market ... Lots of money is being pumped into this kind of worldly entertainment. It is no more than logical that we support our Christian events; as an encouragement and as an investment in human lives. Good causes can be found everywhere as the need for God is huge. If you have a heart for outreach events in rural areas, please support the ZIP festival.

Send your gift to Rabobank nr. 1185 82 275, St. Traveling Light, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275

BIC: RABONL2U  Make sure to mention. ZIP 2013.

PS: We will participate in the program as well. We will speak, give a workshop and be present with a Traveling Light stand.